Crack filler



Aug. 29, 1933. R. c. BURKET 1,924,636

CRACK FILLER Filed March 31, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mommy R. C. BURKET Aug. 29, 1933.

CRACK FILLER Filed March :51, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 R. C. BURKET CRACK FILLER Aug. 29, 1933.

Aug. 29, 1933. Q KETv 1,924,636

CRACK FILLER I I Filed March 31, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 q wi [1M Patented Aug. 29, 1933 1 i 1- UNITE STATES PATEN oFFiCE #1324336 ,7 1 01am: FILLER Russell Burket, Pottsville, Pa. Application aic h31,. 19s2. Serial No. 602,325 Claimsl (01. 94-39)? The device forming the subject matter of this application is adapted to be used for filling cracks in roadways, with tar or. a tar compound, and one object of the invention is so to mount the parts whichcarry the applying nozzle that the .nozzle will follow the crack in the roadway, and dis charge the filling materialinto I the crack, regardless of whether the carriage which is rolled over the roadwayfollows the crack exactly, and regardless of whether the crack is irregular or straight. p p

Another object of the invention is to provide novel meansfor heating the filling material as it moves to the nozzle, so that the filling material will flow readily through the nozzle and through the discharge conduitwhich carries the filling material from the kettle to the nozzle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined machine for filling cracks or applying the filling material, the machine embodying novel means for heating the fillingmaterial by way of a burner, and for keeping pressureon the fuel, so that the fuel will flow to the burner,

the aforesaid pressure causing'aportionpof-theproducts of combustion to, pass about the dis'g charge conduit that leads to the nozzle, thereby heating the conduit and causing the filling ma terial to flow freely through the nozzle, as amsaid.

devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view,

which will appear as the description proceeds,

the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from'the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:-

Fig. 1 shows, in side elevation, a crack filler.

constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the.

removed or sectioned away;

It is within the provinceof the disclosure" to. improve generally and to enhance the utility of,

Fig. 7 is a sectional viewillustrating the combined pressure and fuel conduits, a portion of the fuel holder, (and parts associated therewith.

In carrying out, the invention, thereis pro vided a wheel-mounted carriage C, which, as dis,-

closed in Fig. 6, embodies a horizontally disposed, U-shaped frame 1. To the front portion of the frame 1 are secured rearwardly-extended intermediate bars 2, having longitudinal slots 3 which are shownin Figs. 6 and 2. 7

. 5. Anaxle i (Fig. 5) is mounted in the side portions of the U-shaped frame 1 and in the interii' ediate bars 2. Ground-wheels5 are journaled on the axle 4, within the sidearms ofwthe, frame 1.

Tubular spacers 6 are mounted on .the'ax le-e, be-

and then rearwardly,andpivot elements 8' coni nect the lower ends of the handle 17 with theside' arms of the frame 1 and with the ends of, the axle ,4. Near to their lower ends, the sidearms of the wheeling handle '7 are provided 'with curved, downwardly-extended fingers 9,.having. V longitudinal slots 10, adapted to receive clamp bolts-11 mounted in the side arms of the frame 1.

By looseningthe clamp 'bolts11,the handle .7 may be swung upwardly and downwardly; "to make it adjustable for height, the" handle swing: ing-on the pivot elements 8, and, afterthedesire'd adjustment of the handle 7 .hasbeen attained,

the clamp bolts 11 may be tightened. up; to hold thehandle in its adjusted positionx'A forwardly-extended, downwardly inclined; U-shaped prop 121s secured to. the forward portion of the frame 1- of the carriage C.v When the-machine.

is not in use, it'can be tilted forwardly and down= wardly-on the ground-wheels 5, by means" of the handle 7,.can be supported on 5' andon the prop 12. 1

q The letter F has been used toidesignate generally, a fuel .holder including atanklihaving a capped air vent .114. The upper member 15 (Fig. 2) of a ball bearing is securedto thebottom of the tank 14; The lowerrnember of the ball bearing is marked'by the numeral 16, and Fig.6 shows that securing elements 17; suchas bolts,

received in the slots 3 of the. intermediatebars I 2 of the carriage, connect the lower member 16 5 of the ball bearing to the carriage, for adjustment forwardly and backwardly, at the will of an op erator. The upper'member 15 of the ball bearing is connected to the lower member 16 of the ball bearing, by means-of a...vertic al shaft 18, shown no the ground1-wheels in Fig. 6, and-the construction is such that the fuel holder F, and all parts about it can turn one. vertical axis, and also be adjusted forwardly and .backwardly, owing to the provision of the bolts resting onthe sheet 20 of asbestos, and the ring 21 extending around the sheet 20 of asbestos and around the edge or" the top 19 of the fuel tank 14.

The letter K directs attention to a kettle, in-

cluding a drum 23, the. lower end of vwhich'fits around the upper end of the ring 21 of the burner housing H. The drum 23 comprises a top 24, and a bottom 25, the bottom 25 forming, also, the top of the burner housing H. It can be seen in Fig. 2 that the top 19 of the fuel tank 14, the sheet 20 of asbestos, and the bottom 22 of the burner housing H extend outwardly beyond the vertical wall of thefuel tank 14, to form a rim 26. The ring 21 carries internal legs 27 (Fig. 3) connected by securing elements 28 with the rim 26, hereinbefore described, and shown in Fig. 2.

Any desired number of vertical lines 29 extend between the top 24 of the drum 23 and the bottomv 25 thereof, and the fines open through the parts specified. The lower ends of the fines 29 com-.

municate with the burner housing H. The top 24 of the drum 23 has a hingedly mounted 'lid30,

. provided for the insertion of the filling material into the drum.

, and may be variously constructed. Preferably,

carries a warming chamber 45.

the burner 13 comprises a tube Slysupported intermediate its ends, as shown at 32, from the bottom 22 of the burner housing, the tube being supported, further, by a cross rod 132 (Fig. 3) connected "at its outer ends to the ring 21' of 7 the burner housing. One end of the tube 31 is secured.

' inner end of the burner tube 31, the outer end of the air inlet member extending through an opening 36in the ring'21 and being supported on the ring. Airto'support combustion at the mouth 34 of theburneris provided by means of holes 3'7 (Figs. 2 and 3) in the rim 26.

A pressure and fuel conduit 38 (Fig. 2). is provided and,at its inner end, this conduit communicates (Fig. 7) with the lower part of the tank 14 of the fuel holder F. On the outer endof the conduit-38, an air pump 39, under the control of an operator, is mounted. A valve casing40 is joined to the fuel conduit 38, near to the tank 14, by va connection41, having a reduced nipple 42 which extends downwardly to a point closely adjacent to'the bottom of the. fuel conduit 38. The valve 40 is manipulated by means of a hand wheel 43, or in any other desired way. From the top of the valve casing 40, a pipe 44 leads to the warming chamber 45on' the air inletmember 35, the warming chamber being located within the burner housing The pipe 44 extends through a hole 46 (Fig. 3) in the bottom 22 of the burner housing H. A coupling 47 is connected'to the warming chamber 45 and extends outwardly through the ring 21. Outside of the ring '21, the coupling 47 carries a handle 7.

vertical burner tube 48 (Fig. 2) having a discharge orifice 49 disposed in aliriement with the axis of the air inlet member 35. The flow through tube 48 and the orifice 49 is governed by a needle valve 50 (Fig. 3) carried' by the coupling 47,.and under the control of an operator.

Noting Fig. 2, it will be observedthat the machine comprises aheating jacket 51, which is an angular pipe, and Fig. 5 shows that the inner'end of thehorizontal part of this jacket is connected by a foot plate 52 to the ring 21 of the burner housing H. In the horizontal part of the jacket 51 there is'a hole-53, and there is an opening 54 at the lower end of the'jacket. A discharge conduit 55, is connected to the drum'23 of the kettle K, near to the bottom of the kettle and extends downwardly through the hole 53 of the jacket 55 and longitudinally of the. inclined part of the jacket, the horizontal part of the jacket being in.

' communication with the burner tube 31, as seen in Fig. 2. On the lowerendof the discharge con duit 55 there is a transverse nozzle 56,- having a reduced or flattened end 57. The flow of the A rotating handle 59 is provided, this part being 7 called a rotating handle, not because it rotates,

but because it is used to rotate thekettle K, the burner housing H, and the fuel holder, F, when. desired, about a vertical axis represented by the shaft 18 of Fig. 6, and with respect to the carriage C. 'The handle 59 is provided at its lower end with a fork 60, the intermediate portion of which rests on top of the horizontal part of the heating jacket 51 and acts as a fulcrum for the handle (Fig. 2)

The reader can see, in Fig. 1, that the side arms of the fork 60 are upwardly curved, and have slots 61, through which pass stud'bolts 62, mount-- ed on the sides of the horizontal part of the heat ing jacket51. On the rear or upper end of the handle 59 there is a depending grip 63. The stud bolts 62 can be loosened, and the handle 59 can be swung up and down, with the intermediate part of the fork 60 (Fig. 2) as a fulcrum, and then the stud bolts62 can be tightened, the height of the grip 63 being adjusted in this way. Fig-5 shows that the grip 63 of the handle 59 lies within.

the handle 7, close to the rear cross bar of the There is a bracket 64 (Fig. 1) on the handle 59, the bracket carryinga flexible guide 65, .in which slides a ilexible operating member 66, such as a wire, which is stiff enough, however, to operatethevalve 58-of the nozzle 56, the lower end of the operating member being connected to the valve. The upper end of the operating member 66 is'joined to'a downwardly-extended forked lever 67, pivoted at 68 upon the handle 59, and located near enough to the grip 63 so that a person can take hold of theparts 63 and 6'? at once,

through the discharge conduit 55 to the nozzle without completely, filling thecrack to the bot tom, and there is practically nosmearingof the material on the surface of the highway, with corresponding waste. 'The flow through the nozzle'56 is regulated by the valve 58, and the valve is actuated by the "operatingrnember 66 and the of the valve 40, through the pipe 44 and into the Warming chamber 45. Here the fuel is heated, and it passes through the coupling 47 to the outlet tube 48, under the control of the needlevalve 50 of Fig. 3. The fuel moves through the orifice 49 (Fig. 2) of the tube 48 and mingles with the air that is entering the mouth of the airinlet member 35. The mixture burns at the combustion mouth 34 of the burner tube 31, and "the tar compound in the kettle-K is heated, as the products of combustion pass along thebottoin 25 of the kettle, and up through the flues 29, the products of combustion passing,'for the most part, out of the upper ends (Fig. 4) of the flues. Although the major part of the products of combustion pass through theifiues 29, the products of combustion do not find an exclusive exit. r

1 1'. In a device for filling, cracks'in roads, 3

by that path. A portion of the products of com bustion moves to the right in Fig. 2,, past the combustion mouth 34, through the right hand end of tube 31, through the heating jacket 51, and out 'of the outlet Siatthe lower end of the jacket. Thus, the discharge conduit 55 is kept hot, throughout practically its entire'ien'gth, the

nozzle 56 'iskept hot, andthe crack-filling material Will not solidify, but will alwayspass fluently through the nozzle 56;

, The air pump 39 carries the fuel to the orifice 49 of the outlet tube 48 of Fig. 2; as has been explained, but the second and by no means negligible function of the pump 39 is to create enough of a forced draft or blast through the right hand end of the burner tube 31 in Fig.2, so that a portion or" the products of combustion will move downwardly throughthe jacket 51 and heat the crack-filling material as itfiows through the discharge conduit 55; The jacket 51 has to be downwardly inclined, because the nozzle' 56must be so placed that it can ride in the crack to be filled, and the blast proceeding from the orifice 49 is highly desirable, since the products of colmbustion have no natural tendency to flow downwardly through the inclined heating jacket 51',

especially when the mouth 34 of the burner tube 31 affords so readyan exit for them.

The device is a light one maninachine, and is trundled along by the handle '7, the wheels 5' rolling on the ground. The flattened end 5'7 of the nozzle 56 keeps its place in the crack automatically, even though theoperator may not steera course represented accurately and exactly by the crack, and the machine can be usedt'o fill-a crooked crack, quite as well as a straight one. As

the machine moves over the roadway, the entire superstructure, comprising the fuel holder F, the

. being joinedto the carriage.

. an important ofiice.

throughz-the instrumentality of'the' handle 59,

- that handle being connected. to the burner housh1g8," and not-to the carriage C, the handle 7 Incidental. and perhaps obvious features em brace the governing of vthe fiow of fuel, at the will of an operator, by the valve mechanism 4043 of Figs. "land 1, and the charging of the kettle K- by way of the lid 30 offFigs. 4 and 2. The air :vent 114 can be uncapped, the pump 39 taken off, and the fuelholder F filled with fuel through the conduit 33. i

Since the machine is intendedto be. handled by. one operator, the weight of thesuperstructure should be properly distributed from front to back,

may be no downward pressure" on the handle 7,

,with respect to the axle 4, to the end that there and also in order that when the device is tilted itself. In this connection, it is to be observed that the slots 3 and the "bolts 17 of 'Figfo have.

wheel-mounted carriage; =a superstructure in cluding a container forthe'crack-filling material, a conduit extended downwardly from the container, and a nozzle on the conduit. and shaped to ride in the crack to be filled and to follow-the crack automatically; and means for rotation, relative to saidcarriage, about a sub- The sheet 20 j of: asbestos f stantially vertical'axis, to permit the nozzle to ride in and follow the crack to be filled.

2. In a device for filling cracks in roads, a wheel-mounted carriage, a fuel holder, means for mounting the fuel holder on the carriage for rotation, relative to said carriage, about a substantiallyvertical axis, a burner structure securedto the fuel holder, means for conducting fuel from the fuel holder to the burner, akettle sethe conduit'and shaped to ride in and be guided automatically by the crack to be filled.

I, 3. In a device for: filling cracks inroads, wheel-mounted carriage, a kettle, means for mounting thekettle on the carriage to rotate,

relative tosaid carriage, 'on'a substantially vertical axis, a conduit leading downwardly from the kettle, a nozzle on the lower end of the "conduit, a rearwardly extendedwheeling handle connected to the carriage, a handle for rotating the kettle on said axis, and means for connecting the rotating handle to the kettle, both handles being so located with respect to each-other that they are accessible to a single operator;

.4. A device for filling cracks inroads, conv structed as set forth in, claim 3, in combination with a valve controlling thenow through the nozzle, and means mounted on the rotating hani dle for operating the valve.

5. In a device for filling cracks in roadsfa wheel-mounted carriage, a kettle for crack-filling carriage for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, relative to the carriage, a conduit for crack-filling material connected to the kettle,

its

mounting'the superstructure Jon the carriage for 1 a do material, means for mounting the kettle on the conduit and with the nozzle, a burner on the carriage and having a combustion orifice so 10-- 'cated as to heat the kettle, the burnercom'munieating with the heat-conducting means for the conduit and'the nozzle, a fuel holder on the carriage, mechanism for conducting fuel from the fuel holder to the burner, and means for creating pressure in the fuel holder, to carry the fuel through said mechanism to the burner, and through the burner to the combustion orifice, and to carry a part of the products of combustion from the orifice into and through the heat conducting meansfor the conduit and the nozzle.

6. In a device forfilling-cracks in roads, a wheel-mounted carriage, a kettle for crack-filling material, means for mounting the kettle on the carriage for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, relative to said carriage, a conduit for crack-filling material connected to the kettle, an applying nozzle. assembled with the conduit, a heat-conducting means cooperating with the conduit, a burner on the carriage and having a combustion orifice so located as to heat the-kettle,

the burner communicating with the heat-conducting means for the conduit and the nozzle,

means for supplying fuel to the burner, and

means for creating a blast in the burner, to carry the fuel to the combustion orifice, and to carry a part of the products of combustion from the terial, a conduit extended downwardly from the containenanda nozzle on the conduit and shaped to ride in the crack to be filled and to follow the crack automatically; mechanism formounting the superstructure on the carriage for shifting movement parallel to theline of advance of the carriage, thereby to shift the center of mass of the superstructure with respect to the axis of r0- tation of the ground wheels, and means for mounting the superstructure for rotation, relative to said carriage, about a substantially vertical axis, to permit the nozzle to ride in and. follow the crack to be filled.

8. A crack filler comprising a wheel-mounted carriage, a container for crack filling material, a downwardly extended outlet conduit connected rigidly with the container, a nozzle on the lower end of the, conduit and shaped to ride in the crack to be filled, and means for mounting the container on the carriage for free rotary move-' ment about a substantially vertical axis, relative to said carriage, whereby the container will be rotated by the drag'of the, nozzle in the crack, and permit the nozzle to run in and follow the crack.

, 9. A crack filler constructed as set forth in claim 8, in combination with a tubular jacket about practically the entire length of the outlet l'ilO conduit and extended downwardly to the nozzle,

. and means for applying heat, from a single source of heat supply, to the container, and past the container, to the jacket. a

10. A crack filler constructed in accordance with claim 8, in combination with a heating means having two outlets, one of said outlets discharging upon the container,v and the other of said outlets discharging downwardlyalong the outlet conduit throughout practically the entire length of the said conduit.

RUSSELL C. BURKET. 

